September 1965
Goldie's POV
The days went on, and as each day passed I got more and more anxious about the possibility that we may never get back home. The fact that we've been here for more than a day and we haven't blown our cover is absolutely mind blowing to me. I guess we are just a couple of afternoonied kids.
We have lasted all summer here. School even started back up, which meant Darry forced us all to enroll for all classes, which was not something I thought was going to happen. I thought Darry was selling me a dog, but I ain't boating.
Honestly, school isn't that bad. I even like the lunches the school provides so I don't have to worry about what I'm going to eat for lunch anymore. I usually get pizza, a simple green salad, chocolate pudding, and fruit juice. I could eat this all day. Ponyboy and I would eat lunch together outside in the courtyard if it's nice out, otherwise we eat together in the cafeteria. Mom would join us sometimes, but other times I wouldn't even see her during the lunch period. I think she usually ate alone in her car.
Dad is still dating Sandy, even after their fights. I can't help but feel like their relationship is our fault. He must have been dating Mom by now, right? It's a really frustrating situation. Whenever Dad talks about Sandy, I try to pivot the conversation so we talk about Mom instead. Every single time.
It got really difficult to talk about Mom though. A few months ago Dad hooked her up with a job at the DX too so she's there all the time now. It is not that bad, because I feel like it's doing my job for me. They get along together really well, especially when they're in the garage together. She will sit and talk to Dad as he's fixing cars. She has the brightest smile for him, even when he's covered in oil. It's cute.
I got my siblings together and decided to treat them to an ice cream. I wanted to thank them for their hard work on maintaining our secret, and doing a great job with avoiding discussing any future events that must happen. It is really hard to keep things on track when you do not know what is supposed to happen.
At the ice cream shop, we all picked the flavors that we wanted. I got chocolate, Red picked coconut pineapple, and Candy chose cherry. I handed the cashier a $4 bill in exchange for the cones. He glanced at the bill, started to put it away but decided to take a second look.
"Very funny," he said sarcastically and tried to hand it back. "Where's the real bill?"
I cocked my head to the side and stared at him in confusion. "That bill is real."
"Oh yeah?" He scoffed and waved the bill in my face. "There's no such thing as a $4 bill, the year 2035 should not be on any bills, and Martin Luther King Jr. ain't a president."
"Uh-oh," Candy mumbled under her breath.
"Fabricating currency is an offense I'll have to report," he said as he reached for the phone to call the police.
I turned to my siblings and stuttered for a moment. They looked back at me with bewildered eyes, jumpy with anticipation. All I could say was, "run."
All three of us bolted out the shop with the ice cream man shouting at us. In between gasps, I told my siblings to head straight for home. We could hear sirens approaching from the distance, more than likely looking for us. I looked back and could see them a few hundred yards behind us.
"Go, go, go!" I motivated to get them to run faster. I refused to let us all get arrested for accidentally stealing ice cream.
We all turned the sharp corner to the street where the Curtis house is and we nearly bust down the front door to get inside. All three of us scrambled in, and Red nearly dropped the ice cream cone he just about went to jail for.
"Woah, woah, woah!" Darry said, standing up from his recliner when he heard the ruckus. "What's going on? Where's the fire?"
I slammed the door closed and we all peered out the window to see the cop approaching the road. He didn't see us get into the house, so he slowly drove down the street trying to spot us running through lawns or between houses.
"Nothing." I let out my breath. "I think we are safe."
"Okay." Darry didn't sound like he believed me. "Hopefully you didn't do nothing stupid."
Candy and Red shot me a glare, knowing full well that I did do something very stupid. I didn't look them in the eye, instead I rubbed the back of my neck and took a bite of my melting ice cream cone.
"Yeah," I rubbed the back of my neck, "I try to use my head."
"At least you try." Darry rolled his eyes. "Pony don't even bother."
"Oh," Candy replied softly.
We had no idea what to say to that. Darry has really been on Ponyboy's ass recently. No matter what Ponyboy does, it's never good enough for Darry. It's always been like that I guess, but Ponyboy has been more vocal to me about being upset about it. It's just hard because Pony is trying his best, but he still gets in trouble.
"Do you kids got homework or something you should be doing besides running from the fuzz?"
"I got work," I told him.
"Red and I could work on our school work," Candy said.
"You best be doing that, and don't be going around and getting into anymore trouble, you hear? I won't be able to bail the three of you outta jail," Darry said.
"We won't, I promise," Candy stated.
Darry eyed us coolly before he sat back in his recliner and got back to reading his book.
We had been there so long, that Darry let us take their parents old room instead of sleeping in the living room. Their bed was big enough for the three of us to squeeze on every night. Sometimes, Red likes to sprawl out so I always let Candy take the small space of bed she is allowed and I take the floor.
I ran into our room and changed into my DX shirt. By the time I got out to the living room to leave, Red and Candy were already at the dining table doing their homework.
"Where's everyone else?" I asked.
"Johnny and Pony are out lollygagging around town, Bri and Two are probably with them, and Steve and Soda are at work. I'd have to guess that Dally is at Bucks," Darry answered without looking up from his book.
Yesterday, Ponyboy was leaving the movie house and he got jumped by some older Socs. They pulled a blade on him and cut his face a bit. Darry got mad at Pony for going around by himself so now he wants us to use the buddy system when we walk around town.
"Okay," I mumbled as I buttoned up my shirt. "I'm gonna head to work, I'll see you later,"
"Drive safe," Darry said to me as I got to the door.
"I will, bye."
"Bye."
I closed the front door behind me and hesitantly walked to my car. I looked every which way, and luckily, the cop was long gone. I jumped into my car and left the neighborhood as quickly as I could.
I drove to the DX, and today I got to restock all the shelves. It was kind of boring, and business was slow anyways. Work was always a little boring but at least we got to pass the time by talking to each other.
"Bri ain't working today?" I asked.
"No. She's going to a movie later tonight with some of the guys," Dad said. He sat up on the counter and tore open a package of peanuts.
"What movie?" I asked.
Dad shrugged. "Not sure. I think it's some sort of Disney picture. Hey, Steve!"
Steve's voice came from the garage. "Yeah?"
"What's that picture the guys and Bri are seeing tonight?"
"The hell if I know!" Steve shouted back.
Dad tossed some peanuts into his mouth and he asked, "is it some picture from Disney? Two would like that, I think he said he was going."
Steve came out of the garage with a dirty rag in his hand and oil smeared on his cheek. He cuts off the sleeves of all of his shirts to show off his muscles, which included his work shirt. "No, but I think it is one of them musical types. I wanna say that it got somethin' to do with beaches."
"I ain't gotta clue," Dad said with an infectious chuckle.
"Oh! It's a double feature of Muscle Beach Party and Beach Blanket Bingo. Now I remember. Dally mentioned it and I didn't get why they'd want to go see somethin' like that." Steve tossed the rag at Dad and scurried back into the garage.
Dad caught the rag just before it hit his face and he batted it away. He chuckled and ate some more of the salted peanuts.
"Maybe it's got some bikini babes in it," Dad guessed.
"I dunno. Muscle Beach Party throws me off of that assumption," Steve stated.
"Are you guys going to the movie?" I asked.
"No, me and Steve are picking up Sandy and Evie for the game tonight," Dad answered.
"Oh."
"Are you going to the game?"
"No, I have to work. I'm closing shop," I said. I don't even know what kind of game they're talking about.
"Oh, that's right."
The door opened, letting a little chime ring which made us all snap our heads to the door. A girl with blonde hair that flipped at the ends wearing a pink button up sweater and skirt set with a white headband walked in. Her big blue eyes were wide and hopeful. She looked over at us and smiled softly.
"Afternoon, how's it goin'?" Dad asked her, flashing a smile in her direction.
I saw her blush softly. "I'm fine."
Dad kept smiling. His voice was soft and low. "That's real fine. Anything I can do for you today, Miss?"
"Oh, I just wanted to grab... a soda," she said as she grabbed a Coke from a nearby fridge and brought it up to the counter. She nervously wiped her palms against her skirt before reaching for her money.
Dad rang her up and asked, "how's your day going so far?"
"Just swell. I got a perfect grade on my math test today so I'm going out for hamburgers with my folks tonight."
"That's mighty impressive. I suggest going over to Hanks. They say they got the best burgers in Tulsa, and it ain't a lie."
The girl grinned and looked down at the counter. "Maybe I'll do that."
Dad smiled at her as he put her change into her hand. He leaned against the counter and ran his fingers through his hair. "Good. Food there is great and they're real nice people."
"What time are you off? Maybe you can come with us," she asked bravely.
Dad let out a little nervous chuckle and said, "afraid I can't tonight."
"Some other time then," she said as she grabbed her Coke and took a step back.
"Some other time," Dad replied with a flirtatious wink.
The girl couldn't stop looking back at Dad as she walked out to her car. This happens all the time. Girls, both greasers and socs, will come into the DX just to talk or even just to look at Dad. He's like a celebrity around here. Almost every girl that walks through those doors flirts with him. And he flirts with girls. A lot. He says it's because it helps him get more tips, and it works. They swoon over his dashing smile and melt into a puddle at his feet. Steve and I usually ignore them. However, I never see any sincerity behind his eyes. The way he is looking at these girls that come into the DX isn't the same way he looks at Mom. He doesn't even look at Sandy that way.
"How's it going with you and Sandy anyway?" I asked him. I try to be as nonchalant as possible when talking about Sandy if we discuss her at all.
"It's good." His lips quivered into a little smile. When Steve went into the back, Dad said, "I'll tell you something, but you gotta swear not to tell Darry."
"What is it?"
"I think I'm gonna marry Sandy."
I just about screamed. My eyes widened and my jaw dropped to the floor. I quite literally felt my heart drop. All I could managed to squeak out was, "that's a bold choice."
"I'm gonna wait until Pony is out of school so I can keep helping with the bills and stuff," Dad stated. "I'm being sensible."
"Do you already have a ring?" I asked. I was nervous to know the answer. He can be very impulsive.
"I got my mama's ring that I'll give to the right girl."
"And that's Sandy?" I sneered. I started getting really tense. My shoulders literally tightened into rocks and my fists clenched. My nails dug into my palms in an attempt to wake me up from this nightmare.
Dad chuckled nervously. "I don't think Sandy would want some old ring."
"You don't think Sandy would appreciate a ring that means so much to you?" I asked him.
Dad thought about it for a moment. He tried to defend her by saying, "she wants her own ring. She told me that before."
I sighed softly. I love him, but he can be such a blockhead. "Don't you think that's super disrespectful to you and to your mom?"
Dad shrugged, as if he was trying to brush off my logic. He looked down at his hands that laid restlessly in his lap. In a small voice, he said, "it's fine."
I had always known that my grandmother and grandfather died in a car accident. They were taking a little road trip for their anniversary, and their car stalled on railroad tracks just outside of Oklahoma. The train came too quickly and they couldn't get out of the car in time. The only comfort these boys have is that their parents hopefully died instantly.
They died about a year ago now, but of course growing up I never knew when they died. I never asked. I just knew it was when Dad was a teenager. I've seen pictures of them around the house, and immediately recognized them. My grandfather looked a lot like Darry. My grandmother was a beautiful woman, and they both seem to have had hearts of gold. I hear so many stories about them, I wish I got to meet them.
"What do you think Darry would say if he found out that you were gonna give your mother's ring to her? His mothers ring?"
Dad chuckled softly. "He'd have my head."
"He wouldn't like it?"
Dad shook his head. "No, he wouldn't."
My heart just out leapt into my throat when I thought of a possible reason as to why he might been obligated to marry Sandy. "Did you rust her roof?"
"What?" He asked.
"Did you get her pregnant?" I rephrased.
"Glory, Goldie."
"You can tell me, I won't tell Darry."
Dad thought for a moment before he finally nodded his head. "Yeah, she told me she was pregnant a couple days ago."
"Are you serious?" I felt like a fire was just lit under my ass. "Is it yours?"
He chuckled and said, "it oughta be."
"Are you sure it's yours?" I asked again.
"I don't know who else's it would be," Dad reasoned. "I'm excited to be a dad, I've always wanted to be one. So, I gotta marry her."
"Would you have married her so fast if she wasn't pregnant?" I asked. Do I have a half-sibling I don't know about? One that was left in 1965? Who would be my grandparent's age? The fact that my grandparents on my dad's side are the same age as my great-great-grandparents on my mom's side is almost making me delirious.
He shrugged. "I dunno. I haven't thought about that. I panicked, okay?"
"Well, don't be fooled into thinking Sandy is the last love that you'll find. The next girl might just be under your nose," I told him.
"I don't have a choice, Goldie," he groaned. "I knocked her up, and I'm not the kind of guy to run away from my mistakes."
"A mistake?" I asked.
"Of course it was a mistake, man. You think I wanna be a dad at sixteen? Darry and I can barely keep up as it is, and adding a baby onto that?" He scoffed and ran his fingers through his hair. "It's gonna be rough but it's my fault."
"What about Bri?" I asked.
Dad looked at me curiously. "What about her?"
"I thought you had the hots for her."
He sighed and said, "it don't matter no more. I don't really know what to do. I have to marry Sandy."
Dad and I have gotten real close these past few months. Me, him, and Steve. Dad even introduced me as one of his best friends to someone the other day. He's confided to me about girl issues, mostly about Sandy and Mom, and personal ones. I don't even think he tells Steve what he tells me. Dad is a big softy, but he rarely shows it.
"You seem much happier when you're with Bri than with Sandy," I told him, which was very true. All the times I've met Sandy since the rodeo, Dad seems annoyed with her or subtly trying to get her to leave.
"Bri is one of my closest friends," Dad said with a dreamy, far away look in his eyes. He always lights up when he talks about her. "I ain't gonna ruin what we have by telling her about feelings I ain't even sure about myself. Besides, I could never cheat on Sandy."
"How sure are your feelings about Sandy?"
He thought for a minute, then he said, "I think I love her."
"You think?"
"I mean, I have to."
"Does she love you?" I asked.
Dad froze for a second before his eyes met with mine. He said, "I sure hope so. Lord, Goldie, you sure know how to make a guy rethink his life decisions."
"When were you planning on asking her?" I asked.
"Oh, I don't know. I still gotta tell Pony, and then I'd probably have to tell Darry. I don't care what he says, I'm still gonna ask her. Maybe in a couple weeks? A month? Then we can be engaged until Ponyboy graduates."
"Engaged for four years?" I asked.
"Sure. Maybe tie the knot before the baby comes, just so it ain't taboo."
"Is she worth it?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, does she make you happy? You really wanna be tied to her for the rest of your life?"
"That sounds like an awful long time..."
"You do know what marriage is, right?" I asked with a bit of humor in my tone.
"Of course I do!" He hollered. "It's just a lot I gotta think about is all."
"It's a big commitment. I just don't want you to regret it."
"I don't have a choice no more," he said but he didn't sound very certain. I know he values our opinions so I really hope he took this to heart. His leg started bouncing up and down and the anxiety of his situation came frolicking into his mind. "God damn."
"You know, she loves white roses," I stated nonchalantly.
"Bri does?" Dad asked. Funny that Bri was the first person to pop into his mind.
I nodded. "So, if you ever feel yourself needing to take a break from Sandy... Bri loves white roses," I told him. Hopefully she still likes white roses.
"How do you know that?" Dad asked.
"She mentioned it a while ago." I shrugged.
"Why do you want me to get with Bri so bad anyway?" He laughed restlessly. "Does she like me or somethin'?"
"She wants to go out with you, she just doesn't know it yet."
"That's reassuring," he said sarcastically with a chuckle. "But Sandy is pregnant. It's too late. I can't leave her."
"Just because she's pregnant, doesn't mean you have to stay with her," I told him.
"Yeah, it kinda does. And besides, what if I go to Bri and she says no? I know I ain't the sharpest tack in the box, I'm probably too dumb for her."
"I promise, she won't say no."
I could see the gears in his head turning. I couldn't believe how easily it was to talk him out of asking for Sandy's hand in marriage. I love my father but when he sets his mind to something he usually does it without thinking. I just hoped that this wasn't one of those things.
"I think the flower shop closes before we get off tonight so I'll pick some up for her tomorrow," he said.
"Atta boy," I said.
I instantly felt relieved. Like a weight that has been there for months was finally taken off my shoulders. I'm finally going to get my parents together, like how they're supposed to be.
"But that don't change nothing with Sandy."
"What do you mean?" My hopes came crashing down.
"I have to marry her."
"You really don't."
"I already told her I was gonna ask. After she told me that she's pregnant, I told her that I was gonna marry her and be a father to our baby. I'm not the kind of guy to walk out on his family, Goldie. I have to live the rest of my life without a father, and I don't want my kid to live without one either."
Now I was silent. I couldn't tell him that the baby isn't his. The only reason why I know is because in the future he vaguely tells me about this exact situation. If it were any other circumstance, it would be sweet that he would step up and take care of them for the rest of his life. But that's not his future, and I can't tell him that. He will find out that he isn't the father soon, and some sense will be knocked into him.
"Think I'll be a good dad, Goldie?" Dad asked.
I smiled at him softly. Through a tight voice, I told him, "you're gonna be the best dad."
Dad and Steve got off earlier than I did. They left and went off to the game while I stayed for a few more hours. One of the other mechanics that works at the DX came to run the garage, and we closed the shop down after it got dark.
I drove home in the dark. My mind kept racing with how Dad was going to talk to Mom. I wondered if he was going to break up with Sandy first, or if he was going to try to talk things out with Mom. Then there's the baby... it's all so confusing. I walked through the front door and Darry was sitting in his chair, reading the paper. Dad was sitting on the couch, already nodding off.
"Hey, where's everyone else?" I asked as I kicked off my black boots.
"Bri, Pony, and Johnny are at the drive-in. Those are the only ones I care about," Darry answered, without looking up.
From the lack of tension in the room, I don't think Dad told Darry about Sandy yet. I'm not quite sure what he's waiting for. Maybe I was able to get his brain moving in the direction of realizing that if he got her pregnant or not, marrying her wasn't going to be a good idea.
"Okay... and what about my siblings?" I asked.
"Oh," Darry chuckled. "They're in their room. Turned in early."
"Oh, good."
"Did you see Pony or Bri on your drive home, Goldie?" Dad asked.
I shook my head. "No."
"Pony's still out." Dad looked over to Darry with concern in his eyes. "It's getting kinda late, ain't it?"
"I told them to be home by midnight," Darry said, licking his finger to turn the page.
Dad stayed on the couch, but I laid down on the floor, trying to wait up with Darry. I kept finding myself closing my eyes and getting sleepy. We both had long shifts so it was hard to just sit there and not get drowsy.
I was jolted awake by the sound of the front door opening. I rubbed my eyes to see Mom walking through the door and closing it behind her gently. Her eyes widened when she realized she woke us all up.
"Is Ponyboy with you?" Darry asked, looking up at her from the newspaper.
"No. Just me." Mom kicked her converse off.
"You were walking by yourself?" He raised his voice in a concerned manner.
"Hell no. I was with Dally. He walked me home," she said and I could feel Darry's rage subside.
"Okay, that's good. Could you turn that porch light on for me?" He asked.
Mom turned around and flicked the porch light on. I glanced back at the clock in the kitchen and saw that it was nearly midnight, and Darry wasn't going to go to bed until Pony came home.
She yawned and she sat next to Dad on the couch. He put his arms up along the back of the couch and smiled sleepily at her, but she was rubbing her eye.
"You guys staying up for Ponyboy?" She asked.
"Yep." Dad yawned.
I nodded while looking up at the ceiling. "I was planning on it."
"Darry, go easy on Ponyboy. I'm sure he just dozed off somewhere or something. He is fine," Mom said confidently.
"How could you be so sure?" He raised his tone at her. "He could be dead in a ditch somewhere! I told him to be home at midnight and that's final. He needs to learn that he can't do this kind of crap anymore."
"Okay." Her voice was small. Her shoulders hunched a bit as if closing herself off from the conversation.
"I'm fixing to bust his head in when he walks through that door," Darry stated.
"Come on, Darry," Dad said.
"I've been running all over hell's half acre, and he's just going on like he don't have a damn care in the world. He's done playing possum, he's gotta own up to this," Darry finished and angrily turned the page of his newspaper.
Mom turned to Dad and asked a question in a way that sounded like it was just to change the subject. "How was the game?"
"It was fine. Nothing special," he shrugged.
Mom excused herself and headed into her room. Dad watched her walk away longingly. Silence overwhelmed the room again, with the only noise being the crinkle of paper when Darry turned the page. I found myself nodding off again, jolting myself awake a couple times to stay up. Maybe if I wasn't laying down it would have been easier.
She was only in there for a few minutes and came back out. She scanned the room with her eyes, almost expecting Pony to have come in while she was gone. She sat back on the couch and groaned in annoyance as she slumped down so her head was by Dad's legs.
"Here." Dad carefully picked up her head and let her rest on his legs as if he was a pillow. He pulled some of her long brown hair out of the way, brushing his finger against her forehead softly.
Mom smiled up at Dad and said, "thank you."
I was so beat, I could have fallen asleep standing up. If I stayed out here, I never would have made it to bed. I yawned and sat up while rubbing my eye. I said, "if you guys are going to stay up, I'm going to hit the hay. Good night."
"Night," Dad and Darry said.
"Good night, Goldie," Mom said softly.
I walked to the room I share with Candy and Red and I opened the door gently so the hinges wouldn't creak. They were both sprawled across the bed, leaving no room for me, which was fine... I guess.
I grabbed an extra pillow from the bed and a blanket from the closet and made myself a make-shift bed on the floor. As soon as my head hit the pillow, I passed out.
I was so tired, I could not even hear the commotion going on in the living room just a couple hours later.